1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a passenger conveyor such as an escalator or a moving walk. More particularly, the invention relates to a control apparatus for a passenger conveyor in which a plurality of operating modes including a conveying mode for operating at a speed at which passengers are conveyed and a standby mode for standing by while reducing power consumption are automatically switched, and a passenger detecting device which is applicable to such a control apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, in a stopping automatic operating system passenger conveyor, sensors are provided on poles provided at an entrance gate. The conveyor is in standby with the operation thereof stopped when no passengers are detected and the conveyor is operated at a rated speed when a passenger is detected by the sensors.
The JEAS-410A of the Japanese Elevator Society standards define such a stopping automatic operating system as follows:
1. A detection point should be provided that has a sufficient distance for the escalator so that the escalator may be started and reach a rated velocity before the user rides on the escalator. This distance is 1.0 m or more (corresponding to about 1.7 m from a comb portion) from the ends of the returning portions of the moving handrails at both the entrance and exit gates. (The walking speed of the passenger is 1.5 m/sec and the passenger conveyor reaches the rated velocity in 0.5 to 0.8 sec after the start.)
2. operation should continue for a longer period of time than it takes the user who last rides on the conveyor to arrive at the exit gate.
3. The operating direction should be one way.
4. An alarm should be sounded for a person who rides from the reverse direction, and at the same time the conveyor should be moved in the opposite direction (i.e., the regular operating direction) for a set period of time.
5. Railings should be provided between the passenger detection position and the entrance/exit gates for guiding the users.
6. A display showing xe2x80x9cautomatic operationxe2x80x9d and acceptance or rejection of a passenger should be provided (i.e., showing the operating direction) at both entrance/exit gates.
Also, European Regulations EN115 stipulate as follows:
1. The conveyor should start to move before the pedestrian rides on a step. (A photoelectric device should be installed 1.3 m away from the comb.)
2. A display showing the operating direction and acceptance/rejection is required.
3. The conveyor should move in the opposite direction before pedestrian who is going to ride in the wrong direction rides on the step.
4. The period of time for this operation should be 10 sec or more.
Accordingly, in the stopping automatic operating system passenger conveyor, it is necessary to provide additional equipment such as poles, an automatic operation display lamp, an operating direction display lamp and guide railings. Among such additional equipment, the poles are located at a distance of 1.0 m or more from the handrail returning portions with the sensors being built therein. Also, the automatic operation display lamp indicates the movement of the conveyor if the user is close thereto while the passenger is stopped. The operating direction display lamp indicates the regular set operating direction while the passenger conveyor is stopped and displays whether the riding direction is a regular direction or an opposite direction. In some cases, these display lamps are built into the poles.
Also, the guide railings are used to prevent the user from riding on the passenger conveyor without passing through the detecting device, and, at the same time, prevent the user from moving aside without riding on the passenger conveyor after being detected by the detecting device.
A so-called low speed automatic operating system can also be provided in contrast to the above-described stopping automatic operation system.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Sho 62-275990 shows a control method in which a passenger conveyor stands by at a low speed operation, is accelerated in accordance with a detection signal of a passenger detection device, and is again decelerated after a predetermined period of time.
Also, Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei 5-5572 discloses a method in which after a passenger conveyor has been accelerated from a low speed operation by a VVVF inverter, the drive source is switched over to a commercial power source to thereby perform a rated speed operation.
In such low speed automatic operating systems, since low speed operation is continued even during standby conditions, it is possible to omit or simplify the automatic operation display lamps or operating direction display lamps. Also, in the case where the passenger conveyor is gradually accelerated by the inverter, even if a passenger were to ride on the conveyor during the acceleration operation, it is very unlikely that the passenger would fall down. Accordingly, it is possible to place the passenger detection positions just before the passenger entrance and exit gates. It is therefore possible to dispense with the guide railings and easily incorporate the passenger detection device into the passenger conveyor.
However, the energy saving effect in the low speed automatic operating system is degraded compared with the stopping system because low speed operation is performed even during the standby condition.
In contrast, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Sho 57-72581 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Sho 61-162485 disclose a control method in which if no passengers are detected for a predetermined period of time while the passenger conveyor is standing by at low speed operation, operation is stopped and the conveyor stands by. However, in this case, since the conveyor is stopped for the standby mode when it is not busy, as in the stopping automatic operating system, it is necessary to provide the automatic operation display lamps and the operating direction display lamps.
In addition, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Sho 55-161770, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Sho 64-14784 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 4-58582 disclose a control method in which the operating speed is changed in accordance with the absence/presence of passengers.
Also, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Sho 62-269882 discloses a control method in which, in accordance with an output from a device for detecting the number of the passengers per unit time, the low speed operation is performed when there is no-load and the rated speed operation is performed when the passengers are detected.
Furthermore, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 1-281288 discloses a method in which sensors are arranged at an end portion of the handrail and the ceiling, respectively, and when a passenger is detected by either one of the sensors, operation is started.
Also, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 3-243591 discloses a control method in which a first detecting device is provided at the entrance and exit gates and a second detecting device is provided in the vicinity of the comb portion so that the passenger conveyor is started by the first detecting device and a counting operation according to a timer is started with the second detecting device, the operation of the passenger conveyor being stopped after a predetermined period of time.
Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 6-87592 discloses a control method in which photo sensors, each composed of a light emitting element and a light detecting element are provided on right and left handrail end portions, beams from the right and left light emitting elements are made to intersect one another at the entrance/exit gate, and when passenger is detected by both the right and left photo sensors, the passenger conveyor is started. Also, in this example, a plurality of pairs of photo sensors having different beam intersection positions are provided, and it is thus possible to detect the presence/absence of passengers within a wide range.
Furthermore, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 10-182050 discloses a passenger monitoring device in which reflective light detection type photo sensors are provided on right and left handrails to monitor passengers on a floor board of the entrance/exit gate with the respective photo sensors.
As described above, the conventional stopping automatic operation system needs additional equipment such as poles, automatic operation display lamps, operating direction display lamps and guide railings. Also, the energy saving effect of the conventional low speed automatic operating system is low compared to the stopping because the low speed operation is performed during standby.
Also, Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. Sho 61-57274 discloses a passenger conveyor operating apparatus which comprises a transit passenger detecting device for detecting the absence/presence of a passenger before the entrance gate and a riding passenger detecting device for detecting the advance of the passenger to a step board of the entrance gate portion. A drive device is switched from suspended operation to low speed operation in accordance with a detection signal from the transit passenger detecting device, and the drive device is switched from low speed operation to regular speed operation in accordance with the detection signal from the riding passenger detecting device.
However, in this operating apparatus, the transit passenger detecting device is provided only on the side of the entrance gate and only an alighting passenger detecting device is provided on the exit gate. Also, the transit passenger detecting device is simply used for monitoring whether or not a transit passenger is present before the entrance gate portion. The detection range of the transit passenger detecting device is separate from the detecting range of the riding passenger detecting device. Accordingly, a passenger who cuts in from outside of the handrail returning portion to the entrance gate can not be detected.
Furthermore, since the transit passenger detecting device is disposed in the building where the passenger conveyor is installed, the installation work has to be performed independently of the installation work of the passenger conveyor. Also, the mounting position thereof is limited by the building itself, and as a result, the detection range is changed so that passengers cannot be detected with high precision.
In order to solve the above-described problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a passenger conveyor control apparatus that may improve the energy saving effect while simplifying auxiliary equipment and a passenger detecting apparatus which may be applied to such a control apparatus.
To this end, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control apparatus for a passenger conveyor comprising: a control apparatus body for controlling operation of the passenger conveyor in accordance with a plurality of operating modes including a standby mode for stopping operation for standby, an intermediate mode switched over from the standby mode, a conveying mode switched over from the intermediate mode for conveying a passenger and an alarm mode for alerting a passenger who is about to enter from an exit gate side that the conveyor is operating in the opposite direction; passenger detecting devices for distinguishing and monitoring the absence/presence of a passenger within first zones on an entrance gate side and the exit gate side, including floor boards of the entrance gate side and the exit gate side, and the absence/presence of a passenger within second zones on the entrance gate side and the exit gate side which is adjacent to outside of the first zones so as to cover the first zones, respectively; and a mode switching circuit for switching the operating modes in response to information from the passenger detecting devices, wherein in the case where a passenger is detected in at least one second zone on the entrance gate side and the exit gate side in the standby mode, the mode switching circuit switches the operating mode to the intermediate mode, in the case where a passenger is detected in the first zone on the entrance gate side in the intermediate mode, the mode switching circuit switches the operating mode to the conveying mode, and in the case where a passenger is detected in the first zone on the exit gate side in the intermediate mode, the mode switching circuit switches the operating mode to the alarm mode.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control apparatus for a passenger conveyor comprising: a control apparatus body for controlling operation of the passenger conveyor in accordance with a plurality of operating modes including a conveying mode for conveying a passenger, a standby mode for stopping operation for standby, an intermediate mode switched over from the standby mode and an alarm mode for alerting a passenger who is about to enter from an exit gate side that the conveyor is operating in the opposite direction; a passenger detecting device for distinguishing and monitoring the absence/presence of a passenger within a first zone including a floor board of the exit gate side, and the absence/presence of a passenger within a second zone which is adjacent to outside of the first zone so as to cover the first zone; and a mode switching circuit for switching the operating mode to the intermediate mode in the case where a passenger is detected in the second zone in the standby mode, and the operating mode to the alarm mode in the case where a passenger is detected in the first zone in the intermediate mode.
According to a still further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control apparatus for a passenger conveyor comprising: a control apparatus body for controlling operation of the passenger conveyor in accordance with a plurality of operating modes including a conveying mode for operating at a speed at which passengers are conveyed, a standby mode for standing by under a power consumption saving condition and an alarm mode for alerting a passenger who is about to enter from an exit gate side that the conveyor is operating in the opposite direction; passenger detecting devices for detecting a passenger adjacent to an entrance gate and the exit gate of the passenger conveyor; and a mode switching circuit for switching the operating modes in response to information from the passenger detecting devices, wherein structures of the passenger detecting devices on the entrance gate side and on the exit gate side and detection zones of the passenger detecting devices are the same as each other, and a control method on the entrance gate side and a control method on the exit gate side may be automatically switched with each other in response to a switching operation of the operating directions of the passenger conveyor.
According to a still further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a reflective light type passenger detecting device for a passenger conveyor, having a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion disposed in a balustrade portion of entrance and exit gates of the passenger conveyor for detecting the absence/presence of a passenger adjacent to the entrance and exit gates, wherein a light projection range of the light emitting portion and a light receiving range of the light receiving portion are sector-shaped as viewed from above, respectively, and wherein angles in an up-and-down direction of the light projection range and the light receiving range are changed so that a portion comprising the intersection of the light projection range and the light receiving range may be used as a detection range.